A lobbyist organization funded by local governments held a press conference in the state Capitol this week to urge lawmakers to send its members more in state taxpayer dollars. The event took place as legislators are preparing to pass a state budget for next year, and was cast as an invitation to discuss how local government funding is ďbroken.Ē Given that message, it may seem ironic that the host city of Lansing collected more tax dollars than it expected for a third straight year and had a surplus. The group is called the Michigan Municipal League, and its members want...

LANSING, Mich. (AP) ó Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will drink Flint water at home and at work for at least a month to show to residents it is safe with the use of a faucet filter, he said Monday. The Republican governor, who has apologized for his administration's role in the city's lead-tainted water crisis, visited a house that had been confirmed to have high levels of lead and left with five gallons of filtered water. He said he understands people feel that if officials say the water is OK, then he should drink it, too. "What better way to...

The state of Michigan is ďfundamentally accountableĒ for Flintís lead-contaminated water crisis because of decisions made by its environmental regulators and state-appointed emergency managers who controlled the city, an investigatory task force concluded Wednesday. The panel, appointed by Gov. Rick Snyder to review the disaster, said in a withering report that what happened in Flint is ďa story of government failure, intransigence, unpreparedness, delay, inaction, and environmental injustice.Ē Ö

Hillary Clinton has made every effort to make Flint her own. The water crisis afflicting this predominantly black Michigan city - ignored by Washington politicians for years - has become another battlefield in a progressive war between Clinton and Bernie Sanders. Race, class and the environment matter again in an issues-based, neck-and-neck race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Looking past Tuesday's primary in New Hampshire, where Sanders is tipped to win, and toward the March primary states where she will be counting on African American support, Clinton made a symbolic campaign stop here on Sunday. "I feel blessed to be...

LANSING, Mich. (WEYI) - The Michigan Democratic Party (MDP) is calling for Gov. Rick Snyder to resign after new information was released saying his administration knew of the connection between Flint water and Legionnaires' disease. The MDP released the following statement: "There is a limit to how many times you can play dumb when it comes to events and actions that take place on your watch," said Brandon Dillon, chair of the Michigan Democratic Party. "Governor Snyder is attempting to employ this tactic again, claiming he wasn't told of the connection, made almost a year before he informed the public,...

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder responded Monday to criticism from presidential candidate Hillary Clinton during the Democratic debates for his handling of Flint's water emergency, saying Clinton is making it a political issue. During Sunday's debate, Clinton said "every single American should be outraged" by the water crisis, adding that "if the kids in a rich suburb of Detroit had been drinking contaminated water and being bathed in it, there would have been action." Following a speaking engagement at a Martin Luther King Day event in Flint, the Republican governor said her tactic doesn't help solve the problem. "We're going to...

FLINT - Filmmaker and Davison native Michael Moore spoke before a fired-up crowd in downtown Flint today about the water crisis. In his speech he asked that President Barack Obama visit Flint, when the president is at the North American International Auto Show next week. Moore said that Obama needs to come to Flint before it becomes the president's version of Katrina, conjuring images of when President Bush flew over, but initially did not go to, New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina stuck the city.

"I myself am going to defy your ban and will offer MY home in Traverse City, Michigan, to those very Syrian refugees you've decided to keep out." Filmmaker Michael Moore is speaking out about the Syrian refugee crisis. Moore, a Michigan resident, penned a letter that he posted on Facebook to Michigan Governor Rick Snyder, opposing his announcement in regards to a ban on Syrian refugees in the state. In the letter Moore writes, "I myself am going to defy your ban and will offer MY home in Traverse City, Michigan, to those very Syrian refugees you've decided to keep...

DETROIT (AP) ‚ÄĒ Michigan‚Äôs Republican governor, who has bucked many party leaders by welcoming Syrian refugees, is putting the efforts on hold following the deadly attacks in Paris. Gov. Rick Snyder said in a statement Sunday that the state is postponing efforts to accept refugees until federal officials fully review security clearances and procedures. He added that Michigan is ‚Äúproud of our rich history of immigration‚ÄĚ but that Michigan‚Äôs ‚Äúfirst priority is protecting the safety of our residents.‚ÄĚ ‚ÄúThere will be difficult days ahead for the people of France and they remain in our thoughts and prayers,‚ÄĚ he said. ‚ÄúIt‚Äôs...

Something is actually growing in Detroit, a city that mostly has been in the news for the its lossesócharter schools, 66 of them. Their growth tracks with a statewide trend, and has the Detroit public schools worried. ďWith more than 260,000 Michigan students relying on educational choice, critics have likely realized that they must act now to limit it, before its growing popularity makes the task impossible,Ē Audrey Spalding writes in Impact, a magazine published by the conservative Mackinac Center for Public Policy. Specifically, ďThis year, more than 150,000 Michigan schoolchildren attend public charter schools. Another 110,000 students use ĎSchools...

Bucking the trend of states that have caved on religious liberty due to fear of reprisals from gay activists, Michigan passed a law Thursday offering protections to religious adoption agencies from being forced to place children in the homes of same-sex couples. The law had broad support in the Republican controlled legislature and was signed on Thursday by Governor Rick Snyder, a Republican. Snyder has voiced opposition to a broader religious liberty bill statewide that mirrors the federal Religious Freedom Restoration Act signed by former President Bill Clinton. RFRA protections, once non-controversial and bipartisan now face the ire of gay...

And I do mean ďnoted.Ē With the possible exception of Steve Schmidt, no Republican advisor is better known to the right for sneering at the right than John Weaver. Re-read this old post, written when Weaver was helping to steer Huntsman 2012 to a third-place flameout in New Hampshire, for some of his greatest hits. He advised McCain in 2000, when Maverick was at his media-friendly right-baiting zenith, then caught on with Huntsman during the last cycle to try the olí what-our-party-really-needs-is-a-better-base approach again. Heís known for being a difficult boss, losing lots of races (with some notable successes, like...

WINDSOR, Ont. - A new bridge between Windsor, Ont., and Detroit will be named after hockey legend Gordie Howe. Howe, who is now 87, was born in Floral, Sask., and came to be known as "Mr. Hockey." The still-to-be built Gordie Howe International Bridge is expected to be operational in 2020. The Windsor-Detroit corridor is the busiest commercial land crossing between the two countries and the border has long been a bottleneck. Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement today along with Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder at the river separating Canada and the U.S. Harper praised Howe as a proud...

Gov. Rick Snyderís plan to revitalize schools within the city of Detroit has school-choice advocates concerned about potential threats to school choice in the city. Charter school advocates fear that Snyderís plan creates a bureaucracy with the authority to stop the growth of charter schools or even shut them down if different political leadership put anti-charter board members in charge. The governorís plan calls for the old Detroit Public Schools to be kept in existence for the administrative purpose of paying off the districtís debt. DPS has $483 million in operating debt and a combined capital and bond debt of...

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder will not run for president in 2016, according to two sources familiar with his planning. Snyder, a Republican who was first elected in 2010, has been traveling across the country in recent weeks but has decided against a White House bid. One source close Snyder said heíd expressed concern about the time commitment needed for a national campaign. ďHe is concerned about solving the problems in Michigan and the time commitment needed for out-of-state travel,Ē one source said. A Snyder spokesman declined to comment. The decision comes one day after a Snyder-backed ballot initiative, which would...

<p>LANSING, Mich. (AP) ó Gov. Rick Snyder and lawmakers will be forced to consider yet another alternative to address Michigan's deteriorating roads after voters' resounding rejection of a ballot measure that would have increased taxes to pump $1.2 billion a year more into transportation infrastructure.</p>

LANSING, MI ó Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder "is running" for president, according to a former U.S. Senator, whose comments at a Republican confab were quickly contradicted by a spokesman for the governor, who said he has not made any decisions of that kind. "I met with Rick Snyder yesterday," former Minnesota Sen. Norm Coleman told reporters on Saturday morning at the Republican Jewish Coalition's spring meeting, according to the Guardian and other publications. "He's running. He's running." Snyder was in Las Vegas this weekend to attend the RJC meeting as part of what his advisors are calling an economic tour....

People close to Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder have formed a fund allowing him to travel the country to more aggressively tell of the stateís rebound under his watch, raising the prospect of a potential Republican presidential bid. A spokesman for the governor told The Associated Press on Friday that a 501(c)(4) group, Making Government Accountable, was established within the past month. ďOnce we get into May, the governor will travel more out of the state and promote Michigan, particularly the remarkable economic comeback,Ē Jarrod Agen said. An aide close to the governor said Snyder is considering a presidential run and...

BRIGHTON, Mich. (WXYZ) - Is Proposal 1 the right solution for our crumbling roads? It has the support of Republicans in Lansing, but one local GOP group is breaking with their party on this vote. Three weeks from today, voters across the state will have the final say on Proposal 1. In the meantime, there's no shortage of opinions on this proposed "fix" for Michigan's crumbling roads. "I'm like everyone, I'm for getting the roads fixed and I don't want taxes to increase," says voter Jim Johnson. "I want it to go to what they actually are saying it's supposed...

Amid a nationwide firestorm over so-called religious freedom bills, Michiganís Republican governor is taking cover. Rick Snyder told the Detroit Free Press on Thursday that he would veto a bill like Indianaís if it made its way through the state Legislature. ďGiven all the events that are happening in Indiana, I thought it would be good to clarify my position,Ē he told the Detroit paper. ďI would veto RFRA legislation in Michigan if it is a standalone piece of legislation.Ē Though state Religious Freedom Restoration Act bills are not as controversial when the state also has anti-discrimination laws that include...

Since its right-to-work law took effect, Michigan has experienced the nation's sixth-largest growth in the number of people working, adding 141,990 jobs from March 2013 through December 2014, according to the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. California saw the largest increase during that span, adding 603,174 jobs. On a percentage basis, Michigan employment grew 3.3 percent, ranking 15th overall in the nation. North Dakota held the top spot, growing its workforce by 5.4 percent. Michigan had 4,294,532 jobs in March of 2013, a number that increased to 4,436,522 in December of 2014. The data on jobs comes from the monthly...

A question I often am asked is: "Who would you bet on to win the presidency?" Personally, I don't bet on politics, but here's my current take on the 2016 presidential raceówith, of course, the caveat that we don't know which campaigns will turn out the best in terms of organization, strategy, tactics, or execution, much less which candidates will step on land mines along the way. The Democratic nomination appears fairly straightforward. Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is now the prohibitive favorite. If her early stumbles during her book tour, or remarks like the one she made about...

".....Economists and others who study the issue say it's too soon to draw conclusions from either state about what effect right-to-work is having.But that hasn't stopped proponents from pointing to job growth in Indiana, and detractors highlighting union membership slides in Michigan,as possible outcomes headed Wisconsin's way.Under right-to-work,private-sector businesses cannot enter labor contracts that require workers to pay union dues. Supporters say that it's about worker freedom and that right-to-work will make Wisconsin more attractive to businesses looking to move in or expand.But opponents say the goal is to destroy unions,which they argue will hurt the economy,lower wages and endanger...

Michigan will recognize more than 300 same-sex marriages that were quickly performed in the hours before an appeals court blocked a ruling legalizing the unions, Gov. Rick Snyder announced Wednesday. The Republican said he wouldnít appeal a federal courtís ruling last month that required the state to recognize the marriages performed on March 22, 2014. The governorís decision means the ruling takes effect Thursday and could affect the couplesí health insurance coverage, their ability to jointly adopt children and other state benefits. ďThe judge has determined that same-sex couples were legally married on that day, and we will follow the...

After the 2014 midterm elections, a lame-duck session of lawmakers got together to strike one final blow against the citizens of Michigan who voted them out. They are pushing for a new tax reform that would tie Michigan for having the second-highest state sales tax in the country at 7 percent. The lawmakers claim that the revenue is needed to fund government services like and local schools and roads despite the fact that it would also double Michiganís fuel tax, making it the highest in the country. For the sake of the Great Lake Stateís economy, Michiganders should reject such...

Medical retainer agreements between physicians and patients will not be considered ďinsuranceĒ in Michigan under a recently passed bill signed into law on Jan. 15 by Gov. Rick Snyder. The idea is to ensure that this innovative way for families to obtain routine medical services at lower costs will not be stifled by the extensive state regulatory structure currently imposed on conventional health insurance policies that cover expensive non-routine care. The rationale for this alternative is that while insurance coverage may be advisable for catastrophic illnesses and injuries, it makes less sense as a way to pay for routine primary...

**SNIP** Gov. Rick Snyder just signed a new law that says medical retainer agreements are not insurance. What does this mean in plain, non-lawyer English? Under the Michigan law, individuals and doctors may enter into retainer agreements. The customer pays the doctor a monthly retainer and in exchange for that, the customer gets access to a menu of routine services at no additional charge. These agreements, under Michigan law, do not constitute insurance therefore are not subject to all of the laws, rules and regulations that apply to insurance. This is a great idea. For starters, it gets the insurance...

LANSING, MI - While Michigan Republicans are still debating when to hold their 2016 presidential primary, some of the partyís top political strategists are making the case for potential candidates. Welcome to Michigan Political Points, my weekly roundup of news, views and YouTubes from the state Capitol and beyond. CRUZ NEWS: Former Michigan Republican Party Chairman Saul Anuzis, now working as a political consultant, penned a column this week making the case for a Ted Cruz presidential nomination in 2016. ďHeís the candidate many in the mainstream media and Washington chattering class love to hate,Ē Anuzis wrote. ďHe is demonized...

One group of potential candidates for president probably won't be shuffling off to Iowa, New Hampshire or other early campaign spots in the new year. They'll be hunkered down in statehouses across the Midwest, pushing bills through their legislatures. Few outside their home states will notice, but these governors and their policies could wind up in the national campaign picture. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, Mike Pence of Indiana, Rick Snyder of Michigan and John Kasich of Ohio were all elected after Republicans began taking political control of the middle of the country back in 2010. Since then, they have offered...

Kevyn Orr has agreed to step down as Detroitís emergency manager, saying in a letter released Tuesday that the city will no longer be in a financial emergency once it exits bankruptcy. Orr also told Gov. Rick Snyder in his letter, dated Monday, that he has implemented the cityís two-year budget that reflects the elimination of about $7 billion in debt through the largest municipal bankruptcy in U.S. history. [Ö] Orróa turnaround expert who helped steer Chrysler through the automakerís Chapter 11 bankruptcyóhad been the official face of Detroit government since he was appointed in March 2013 by Snyder. Ö

In December of 2012, in the aftermath of Michiganís Republican Legislature passing a right-to-work law, thousands of union members from around the state participated in a teleconference where their leaders promised ďretributionĒ against the GOP. One union member wondered if Democrats took control of the Legislature, ďCould we shove it right down their throats?Ē Al Garrett, president of Michigan AFSCME Council 25, shot back: ďIf we were to change the composition of both houses, where we were the majority and had the governor, no question we would be able to get rid of it right away. Ö In November of...

I¬íd almost forgotten to write this column. I¬ím sitting here watching election returns, and I am just stunned. Massachusetts? Maryland? MARYLAND?!?! Forget the Senate for a minute, or the massive Republican majority in the House, and think about the fact that Republicans did so well in the gubernatorial races across the country. In Michigan, after passing a ¬ďRight-To-Work¬Ē law, Gov. Rick Snyder wins handily. Union money and muscle plus President Obama campaigning against him couldn¬ít sink a man with the Twitter handle @OneToughNerd. Speaking of unions, no one had a bigger target placed on their back by the unions than...

PPP's final polls for Governor in Florida, Michigan, and Illinois find incredibly tight contests in all three states. Florida is the closest. Rick Scott and Charlie Crist both have 44%, with Libertarian Adrian Wyllie polling at 6%. PPP usually has a policy of not releasing poll results to the decimal, but when we find a tie on our final poll of the cycle somewhere we make an exception. Crist is at 44.0% to 43.8% for Scott- in terms of raw respondents to the poll that's 526 for Crist and 524 for Scott. Wyllie may be playing a spoiler role for...

Against the interests of Michiganders, Governor Rick Snyder has signed a bill banning Tesla Motor¬ís direct-to-consumer automobile sales in the state.The original focus of House Bill 5606 was on determining how franchise-dealership fees are charged. Then, right before the vote, an amendment banning automobile sales directly to consumers was added by State Senator Joe Hune. This backhanded maneuver shielded the amendment from public comment and debate. Passed unanimously in the State Senate and with only one dissenting vote in the House, the ¬ďanti-Tesla bill¬Ē is an economic loss for Michigan. The state will miss out on tax revenue from sales...

Michiganís Republican governor signed legislation on Tuesday that officially bans Tesla Motors and any other carmaker from selling directly to consumers in the state. But Rick Snyder, who is seeking re-election next month, maintained in a letter to lawmakers that the bill simply clarified the stateís existing law and that such direct sales already were not legal in Michigan, home to Detroitís big auto companies. Now, state law requires that Tesla, or other car companies, must sell vehicles through networks of franchised dealers. If the company doesnít have its own network, the state requires it to sell vehicles through another...

The 2014 Michigan gubernatorial election should be a referendum on the major changes to Michigan made by Governor Rick Snyderís administration. Unfortunately, the debate is saturated instead with false claims of education cuts. Snyderís opponent, former congressman Mark Schauer, centered his campaign around the allegation that Snyder ďcut $1 billion from the schools.Ē Most school revenue in Michigan is channeled through the state. So the annual budget is closely followed. Overall spending on education is up over Snyderís term. From the fiscal year 2011 budget ó the last budget passed prior to the Snyder administration ó to the fiscal 2015...

A new Mark Schauer for governor political advertisement features four teachers from four different school districts who claim that Gov. Rick Snyder has cut funding to their districts. But in fact, on a per-student basis, all four districts actually received more taxpayer money in 2013-14 than they did in 2010-2011, which was the last budget approved by Gov. Jennifer Granholm. The ad features seven teachers but only four specifically cite lower funding. For months Schauer, who is the Democratic candidate for the stateís top office, has claimed that Gov. Snyder cut funding to public schools. This claim has been refuted...

It is time to reassess Michiganís gubernatorial race; and flipping a coin might be the best approach to picking the winner. Polls show Gov. Rick Snyder and Democratic challenger former Congressman Mark Schauer neck and neck with Gov. Snyderís momentum heading downward. Maybe Gov. Snyder Ė said by some to be the smartest man in the room Ė knows precisely what heís doing. Maybe his advisers have spotted something encouraging in the polling numbers others have missed, but the governor has slipped into a dead heat after being the favorite to win re-election only a few weeks ago. Gov. Snyderís...

(VIDEO-AT-LINK)There are 65 prominent people who might run for president in 2016. The Democratic and Republican fields contrast sharply. Hillary Clinton is the clear front-runner, while there is no front-runner on the Republican side. Twenty-three Democrats have been mentioned as a candidate or are eyeing a bid, according to an analysis by The Hill. The GOP side has 42. Most of the people on this list wonít run, and some have adamantly claimed that theyíre not interested. But many politicians have changed their minds on seeking the White House. Before mounting his 2008 bid, then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) said he...

A recent ďfact checkĒ from the Michigan Truth Squad, a project of the Center for Michigan, takes a look at an ad from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer attacking Gov. Rick Snyder. In its analysis of K-12 state funding, the truth-checkers state, ďIn his first year in office, Snyder approved a budget that resulted in school funding $930 million lower than the previous year.Ē For the Record: The Truth Squad cites a Senate Fiscal Agency report, but they do not include $455.5 million in additional state funding used for ďbest practicesĒ and retiree benefit costs. That amount is listed in...

The Islamic Society of North America or ISNA, the nation's largest Muslim group, will hold its 51st annual convention in Detroit's Cobo Center Friday through Sept. 1, and will feature former President Jimmy Carter as the keynote speaker. ... A ¬ďsecret special guest¬Ē is also on the bill. The convention¬Ď‚Äćs opening session Friday will include words from Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder and Bishop Elizabeth Eaton, the national leader of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), the first Muslim member of Congress,

<p>DETROIT, MI -- Candidate for governor Mark Schauer plans to announce his running mate in a series of news conferences Thursday.</p>
<p>Two Lansing-based news services, Gongwer and MIRS, report that Schauer is expected to name Oakland County Clerk Lisa Brown as his candidate for lieutenant governor.</p>

ttorney General Eric Holder said Friday that the federal government will recognize about 300 same-sex marriages performed in Michigan before a federal appeals court halted them, despite a decision by Michigan's governor not to recognize those unions. The decision means federal benefits will be extended to those couples -- including the ability to file taxes jointly, get Social Security benefits for spouses and request legal immigration status for partners. "These families will be eligible for all relevant federal benefits on the same terms as other same-sex marriages," Holder said in a statement.

Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday extended federal recognition to the marriages of about 300 same-sex couples that took place in Michigan before a federal appeals court put those unions on hold. Holder's action will enable the government to extend eligibility for federal benefits to the Michigan couples who married Saturday, which means they can file federal taxes jointly, get Social Security benefits for spouses and request legal immigration status for partners, among other benefits. The attorney general said the families should not be asked to endure uncertainty regarding their benefits while courts decide the issue of same-sex marriage in...

Michigan's governor has refused to recognize the gay marriage licenses issued after a judge declared the state's ban on same-sex unions unconstitutional. Gov. Rick Snyder stated that the approximately 300 gay marriages performed last weekend after the decision but before the stay on the decision will not be legally recognized. Snyder made the announcement Wednesday after an appeals court put a stay on the implementation of the recent ruling by federal Judge Bernard Friedman of Detroit. "Snyder's announcement Wednesday closes the door to certain benefits granted to Michigan married couples," reported the Associated Press. "Snyder says the marriages were legal...

DETROIT, MI -- Wayne County Circuit Judge Wade H. McCree is barred from presiding over a courtroom until January of 2021. The Michigan Supreme Court enacted a recommendation that the judge, suspended without pay since Feb. 3, 2013, be suspended from holding a judgeship for six years from Jan. 1,2015, should he be re-elected in this year's election. The 57-year-old must also pay $11,645.17 in costs, according to the Supreme Court opinion issued Wednesday.

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder said he will follow however a federal judge rules on the legality of same-sex marriages in his state, and insisted he has never taken a public position on the issue.Snyder made the comments at a Bloomberg View forum with reporters in Manhattan on Monday, as gay couples who married in the last few days awaited clarity after a federal judge put a temporary hold on a ruling overturning Michiganís ban on gay marriage.

PONTIAC, MI -- It was fun while it lasted for hundreds of gay Michigan couples who got married Saturday. With a voter-approved ban against same-sex nuptials out of the way for about 24 hours, couples rushed to tie the knot in four Michigan counties where clerks held special weekend hours to issue marriage licenses. But an appeals court put a stop to the immediate wedding planning, issuing a temporary stay of U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman's Friday ruling that called the Michigan Marriage Act unconstitutional. Friedman issued a decision that rejected all of the state's arguments that voters made a...

Michigan's ban on gay marriage is unconstitutional, a federal judge said Friday as he struck down a law that was widely embraced by voters a decade ago ó the latest in a recent series of decisions overturning similar prohibitions across the country. U.S. District Judge Bernard Friedman released his 31-page ruling exactly two weeks after a rare trial that mostly focused on the impact of same-sex parenting on children. He noted that supporters of same-sex marriage believe the Michigan ban was at least partly the result of animosity toward gays and lesbians.